After two months of maneuvers by the ruling and opposition parties, the US beef affair has finally been brought to a close. The passage of a legal amendment banning imports of certain beef products from countries with a history of mad cow disease can be seen as a declaration of a new era of independence for the legislature, and a strong vote of no confidence in President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Ma must learn to be humble and listen to the voice of the public instead of being blinded by his ever-more-absolute powers. He must realize that the US beef issue, and that of the proposed cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), have at least symbolic implications for Taiwan’s sovereignty, and we cannot allow that to be compromised through deals behind closed doors. The US beef affair should be a revelation for the Ma administration as it proceeds with preparations for an ECFA.
President Ma took on the concurrent post of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman in an attempt to control his party and the legislature. He had a dream of complete control of the government, but now it is time for him to wake up. Evidently being chairman of the KMT as well as president is no panacea.
Ma blames the US beef affair on poor communication and insufficient publicity, even naming Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) as responsible, but has avoided any suggestion that the National Security Council (NSC) might bear some political responsibility. He wants the executive and legislature to send a joint lobby group to the US, but doesn’t want to talk about how to improve communication with the legislature. Ma can’t see the forest for the trees, and his behavior reveals his tendency to shield his own shortcomings. Within the KMT, everyone is trying to blame someone else, with no one willing to accept responsibility.
With regard to constitutional government, the executive, having had its policy negated by the legislature, must now consider whether to resubmit it. If it does not, it means it accepts the legislature’s decision. With regard to the US beef issue itself, it means that Ma will have to think how to reopen talks with the US. As things stand, he has said that he will hold sincere consultations with the US side as soon as possible, but he has not proposed any concrete solution.
What he says now stands in contrast with earlier statements by NSC Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起), who said the Taiwan-US trade protocol took precedence over domestic law, and who tried to intimidate the legislature by suggesting that the US would respond with economic and trade reprisals. Su has only himself to blame for the legislature’s having countered the protocol by passing the amendment. All this shows that Ma and his national security team are poor negotiators and don’t know how to deal with the consequences of their own actions.
The only forward-looking thing Ma said at his press conference was that he will look into setting up a comprehensive mechanism to handle communication between the executive and the legislature when executive departments are preparing treaties or legislation related to foreign relations such as the ECFA. Actually, the ECFA promises to be a replay of the US beef affair.
Ma has so far refused to consider a proposal by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and the Democratic Progressive Party to set up a group in the legislature devoted to monitoring developments in cross-strait relations, and he opposes establishing rules to govern the signing of cross-strait agreements. In fact the Constitution clearly states that the legislature has the power to deliberate and pass resolutions on such matters as declarations of war, armistices and draft treaties. The US beef protocol is such an issue, and so is the ECFA.
Ma’s current difficulties are, in part, a result of inadequacies in his own character and ability, but the main problem is that, submerged in his own unlimited and ever-expanding power, he is unaware of looming backlashes from public opinion. Ma needs to break free of the spell that power has cast over him. He needs to appreciate the public’s worries about the KMT’s monopoly on power and the people’s feelings of insecurity about national sovereignty issues, and he must learn to fully respect the legislature and pay heed to public opinion. Only then will he be able to reduce the tension and antagonism between the governing and opposition parties, and that, in turn, will be to Taiwan’s advantage in the perilous and complex course of cross-strait negotiations.
Ker Chien-ming is a Democratic Progressive Party legislator.
TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG
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